


(if you can't crawl) you find someone to carry you

by yall_need_patria



Series: carry me home [1]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: All of the aus, M/M, Pre-Slash, high school!au, mentions of injuries and blood so if thats a trigger for you stay safe, modern!AU, steve gets beaten up a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3372200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yall_need_patria/pseuds/yall_need_patria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by a tumblr post/prompt: "You give me a piggy back ride (or ride home) after I got out of a brutal fight and can barely stand."</p><p>Steve is small yet picks fights like nobody's business. Bucky happens to always stumble upon the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(if you can't crawl) you find someone to carry you

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this on a whim because i got inspired by an awesome tumblr prompt! the title is one of my favorite firefly quotes.  
> by the way it's my first time writing about these two so if i got anything wrong don't hesitate to tell me! also english is not my first language so again, if got anything wrong grammatically speaking (??) tell me and i'll fix it uwu  
> [huge thanks to ele (tumblr user reindeercolin) for helping me!!!]

“You know, we should stop meeting like this,” Bucky whispers. The school is silent, but he doesn’t want to be caught by any late teachers.

The weight on his shoulders lets out a tiny, tired grunt.

 “I’m serious, dude. I don’t even know your last name. Do you have a death wish? Any lingering childhood issues? It’s the fourth time this week I find you in the middle of a fistfight and -”  
He shuts up when he realizes that the guy’s hand - Steve, his name is Steve - is grasping at his leather jacket and trying to say something, so Bucky just clutches Steve’s legs tighter and walks out of the main entrance.

The parking lot in front of them is almost empty, the only cars there being the principal’s and the theatre kids’, and Bucky sighs in relief. He really doesn’t want to explain to anyone why he’s carrying on his shoulders a kid that looks like he just got ran over by a truck multiple times.

 He stops only when he reaches Steve’s bike and slowly puts him on the ground, and he can’t believe he just gave this guy a piggyback ride, but apparently he has a bigger heart than he imagined.   
As soon as he realized that the beaten up, bloody thing on the floor of the locker room was the guy he kept bumping into (more like, kept finding lying on the ground after being on the receiving end of some asshole’s punches), he couldn’t help but tell him to get on his shoulders _really fucking fast, there’s a chance they’re gonna come back, and did you pick a fight with the_ entire _football team?_

Turns out the guys from the football team are a bunch of assholes - nothing new - that don’t hesitate to yell racial slurs at that kid Sam and called Bucky a fag multiple times. Uh.  
He wasn’t expecting that - after all, him and Steve met like, three times. And all of those times happened just after Steve got beaten up by a large group of angry people. Even if it was out of gratitude for helping him up right after a fight a couple of times, it’s weird that Steve was so quick to jump at his defense.

 Bucky tries not to think about it too much: Steve is probably one of those people that stand up for everything and everyone and he just happened to stand up for him, too.  
Usually he would admire that particular quality in him, but this kid needs to get his growth spurt already, because they’re in the same grade and yet he barely reaches Bucky’s shoulders - and picking fights when you’re short and so skinny you look like you haven’t eaten since the roaring twenties is not the best of ideas.

Steve stumbles a bit when he tries to take a step towards his bike and he immediately reaches out to steady him like it’s second nature, and if the grateful smile Steve sends his way makes his stomach become a gymnastics champion, he’s absolutely not thinking about it ever.

Steve’s lips are bloody and swollen and there’s dried blood in his blond hair and a bruise on his cheekbone that’s gonna be a very painful shade of purple tomorrow if he doesn’t put some ice on it right now, and Bucky can’t bring himself to let him go away on his bike.

His left eye is swollen too, and he’s squinting like he’s not sure he’s seeing very well, so Bucky makes a decision on the spot.

“Listen, kid - Steve. You shouldn’t use that bike right now, you can barely walk - come on, I’ll drive you home,” and he almost stutters on the last word, but the look of relief Steve is giving him despite the weak protests coming out of his mouth makes something warm in his chest unfurl and well, he’s not going to think about that, either.

“No, you already brought me here - thank you for that, by the way - you don’t need to do this too,” he starts, fiddling with his bruised hands, but Bucky just shakes his head and takes his car keys out of the pocket of his jeans.  
“I’m not going to let you do that, you’re only going to crash into a tree or something. Do you think you can walk? Or I could carry you again, you know, you’re light as a feather.”

His tone was meant to be teasing, but what comes out instead is genuine concern, and Bucky knows his ears just got slightly pinker than usual, but Steve gives him a weak smile again and he suddenly doesn’t care.  
“No, I can walk, just - it would be better if you helped?”

They walk to the car, Bucky crouching down, his left arm under Steve’s right, supporting him as he stumbles across the parking lot, and the setting sun over them makes Steve’s hair shine and Bucky tells him “It’s gonna be fine” and for once, he believes it too.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> here's is the post i got the prompt from! it's full of amazing AU ideas so if you're looking for one you should check it out: http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/post/109308642514/good-kid-troublemaker-aus


End file.
